Shukkei-en Garden
Shukkei-en is a Japanese garden in Japan located in Hiroshima in the Naka area. Translated from the Japanese, the name of the Sukkayen Garden means "a garden of miniature landscapes". This is an amazingly beautiful place to walk. Every year there are several hundred thousand guests. The territory of the park is a state-protected zone.
Walking along the plains of the garden, you can quietly find yourself on a hill or in a hollow - in such an amazing way, the creation of the terrain is thought out here. A huge number of plants makes bright and lively, and those who want to relax can spend time in the "home of the fresh wind", where tea ceremonies are held not only for local residents, but also for tourists from different countries.
In 1619, a Samurai official Asano Nagaakira was placed by Tokugawa shogunate at the head of Aki province and 8 counties in Bingo province, with a center in Hiroshima Castle. In 1620, his main vassal and tea ceremony master, Ueda Soko, began building a garden near the castle, was to become part of the villa of the new overlord. The garden, which consisted of many miniature landscapes, was called « Syukkayen » and, according to legend, personified the legendary « West Lake » of the Chinese city of Hangzhou. After the Meiji restoration in 1869, Shukkayan was used as a manor of the Asano clan. In 1884, when the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Japan was moved to Hiroshima Castle, and Hiroshima herself served as the Japanese capital, the garden became the temporary residence of the Emperor. In 1913, Shukkayen was first opened for public viewing, and in 1940 was donated by Asano to Hiroshima Prefecture. In the same year, the garden was officially recognized as a valuable state attraction of Japan. On August 6, 1945, Shukkayen was destroyed by the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima by US aviation, but was soon restored in 1951.
Recovery work was completed by the beginning of the second half of the last century. Today, Sukkayen Garden is one of the main objects visited by tourists in Hiroshima. In the center of the garden is the Takway pond, which houses more than 10 small and large artificial islands. He is surrounded by rounded bulk mountains, valleys, bridges, tea houses and arbors. They are connected by sandy and stone paths, which offer views of the entire garden.
In order to increase the sense of the size of the Syukkayen garden, which is small, the technique of rough terrain is used: the plains abruptly pass into the hills, in places streams and waterfalls flow, and the entire territory is densely covered with trees and flowers, which are vegetation of various seasons. « Rainbow Bridge » was built on the model of « Moon Bridge » Tokyo Garden Korakuen and « Eternity Bridge » Superior Villa Sugakuin in Kyoto. In the southern part of the garden is « Fresh Wind House », designed for relaxation, tea ceremony. It is built in the style of a tea room.
